Alarm device for liquid-leaves.



A. COHEN.

ALARM DEVICE FOR LIQUID LEVELS. APPLlcATIoN FILED sEPT.28,1914.

Patented Apr. 10, 1917.

Arr'! l a' Wrmassss:

ADA COHEN, OF CHELSEA, MASSACHUSETTS.

ALARM DEVICE FOR LIQUID-LEVELS.

Speccation of Letters Patent.

Patented Apr. 10, 1917.

Application filed September 28, 1914. Serial No. 863,931.

To all whom t may concern.'

Be it known that I, ADA COHEN, a citizen of the United States, residing at Chelsea, in the county of Suffolk and State of Massachusetts, have invented a new and useful Alarm Device for Liquid-Levels, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to electrical alarm devices for governing liquid levels of vessels containing same, and its object is to provide a means for sounding an alarm ,to attract the attention of the attendants, when the level of the liquid, admitted to a vessel, reaches a predetermined height,-thus relieving the attendant of the duty of watching the same from going'beyond the required height, and especially from overflowing the vessel. l

Another object of the invention is to provide an alarm device of simple construction and effective operation, to be used especially in vessels provided for receiving the drippings of melting ice from ice-chests, refrigerators, or the like, for preventing overflowing of the same, which is a source of constant annoyance to the house-keeper and causes an unsanitary and unhealthy condition in the household; the overow of the liquid often rotting the floors and the coverings from the same as well.

Still another object is to provide a device, as above referred to, which permits the setting and coupling of the same with any shaped vessel for governing the level of the liquids introduced therein, and also permits the setting of the device to allow the liquid to reach a required level when an alarm will be sounded for informing the attendant that such level has been reached. n

To these as well as other ends, my invention consists in the novel features of construction, combination and'arrangement of parts set forth in the following specification, and particularly pointed out in the subjoined claim.

Referring to the accompanying draw- 1nga Figure l, is a diagrammatic view of a dripping tank sectioned and positioned below the dripping pipe of an ice-chest, showing my alarm device set in said tank and connected by wires with the battery box, shown in perspective, and provided with a sounding mechanism,-which box may be positioned at any convenient place, near or away from the tank.

Fig. 2, is a sectional view of a dripping tank with the cage member of my device (partly sectioned) set within the same and connected diagrammatically with a battery and a bell, or battery and buZzer,-the level of the liquid in the tank having reached the point where the alarm is sounded by reason of the contact made between the contact members acted upon by the floating and buoyant member of the device.

Fig. 3, is an enlarged vertical cross-section, taken through the cage member of my device, set within an empty vessel, showing the floating and buoyant member in its lowost position.

Fig. fl, is a sectional view taken on line il---l in Fig. looking in the direction of the arrows.

Fig. 5, is a bottom, view of Fig. 3.

Fig. 6, 'is a modification of my device, showing the cage member secured to the battery boX by a rigid member, making a unit combination of the two independent members, shown in Fig. l.

Fig. 7, is a view showing a modification of the cage member shown in Figs. l, 2 and 3, in that the same is provided with a telescoping-sleeve, which vreadily permits the increasing of the height of the cage member, as desired when necessary.

Fig. 8, is al sectional view taken on line 8 8 in Fig. 7.

Fig. 9, is a similar view of the upper part of the cage member shown in Fig. 3, but shows a longer contact stopper member, which fits within the cage member and permits the raising or lowering of the alarm contacts for varying the levels at which it is desired to sound the alarm.

Fig. l0, is a sectional view taken through the ioating and buoyant member, which causes the contact members of the cap-switch to engage for sounding the alarm.

Like numerals refer to like parts throughout the several views of the drawing.

The numeral 1 is a part of a so-called icechest, having a dripping pipe Q under which is usually positioned adripping tank 3, for receiving the drippings of the melting ice from the same.

Within the tank 3 is set the cage member 4t which is preferably provided with a depression member 5 at the bottom of the same, for affording the cage member extra means for remaining in the vertical position, which is the operating position of the same while it is immersed in the liquid. rlfhe cage member 4 is preferably provided with the lugs 6 and the'ribs 7 at the bottom of the same,- the ribs 7 acting as a stop, preventing the buoyant member 8 from dropping out of the cage member 4 when the same is removed from the vessel or tank 3.

The cage member 4 is preferably provided with vertical openings 9, for permitting the liquid in the tank to freely enter within the same for operating the Heating member 8.

rllhe top 10 of the cage member 4 is provided with the contact-stopper-switch member 11 which is preferably made of insulating material, thereby negativing the neces sity for insulating the contact members provided in the same for opening and closing the electric circuit of the device.

rllhe switch member 11 is provided with the binding posts 12 and 13, which are in turn provided with the contact members 14 and 15, respectively. rlhe binding post 12 is connected by the wire 16 to the ordinary type of dry cell battery 17, which is preferably kept within the battery box 1S, which battery connects with one of the poles of the electric bell 19; the other pole of which connects with the binding post 13 through the wire 20.

19a in Fig. 2, represents a buzzer, or other electrical. sounding apparatus, which may be used in the place of the electric bell 19.

1n Fig. 7, 4a is a cage member provided with a thumb or winged screw 21, which is adapted to secure the telescoping-sleeve 22 in the required position for setting the alarm to be sounded at a particular level of the liquid. The telescoging-sleeve 22 is also preferably caged and provided with the vertical openings 23.

In Fig. 9, 24 represents both the top of the cage member 4 in Fig. 3, and the telescoping-sleeve member 22 in Fig. 7, but shows the same provided with a long type of contact-stopper or switch member 11, which is electrically fitted in the same manner as the Stoppers shown in Figs. 3 and 7, for permitting the regulating of the heights of the contact members of the switch for varying the levels at which the alarm is to be sounded, by simply inserting and setting the same within the sleeve 24 in the required position.

ln Fig. 6, the cage member 4b is provided with a rigid bracket 25 which may be either rigidly attached thereto, or made integral therewith,-said bracket 25 being provided with an extension member 26 to which member is secured the battery box 18; the bridgmg member 25 being made sufficiently high to straddle the tank 3 and to permit the cage member 4b to be inserted within the same while the battery boX 18 is kept outside of the same and rests on the floor, or the like, for supporting the cage member 4b in the tank, as shown in Fig. 6.

Having thus described the parts of my invention in detail, the manner in which the same may be constructed and used is as follows:

The cage member may be made of glass or of a non-rusting material (preferably aluminum) and the floating member 8, which is made preferably hollow (as shown in Fig. 10) may also be made of non-rusting material. rlhe cage member may be constructed with a stop means in the bottom of the same, for preventing the lioating member S from dropping out of the same, when the cage member is being handled. The contactstopper or switch member 11 may be made .J

preferably of any suitable insulating mate rial, such as hard rubber, and may be designed with a good fit for engaging and remaining in the top opening of 4the cage member when set therein for serving as a .a

cap for the cage member.

1t may be understood that the floating member' 8, is to be inserted within the cage member 4 from the top of tbe same, when the stopv means in the bottom is made integral therewith, after which the stepper or switch member 11 may be litted into place. Also, the 'diameter of the floating member 8 must necessarily be less than the inner diameter of the cage member, for permitting the easy rising of the floating member with the changing of the level of the liquid. The contact members 14 and 15 of the stopper or switch member 11 should be of a metal and of a design that will permit the easy springing of the same for making and breaking contact, when acted upon by the Floating member 8.

It may be observed that as the floating member 8 is raised and carried, by the changing level of the liquid, within the cage member 4, the same will eventually engage with the Contact member 15 and forcel it to rub with the contact 14, as shown in Fig. 2, when the alarm will be sounded, calling the attention of the attendant to the fact that the desired level of the liquid in the container has been reached; and when the same is emptied or any of the liquid is taken from it, immediately the buoyant member will be freed from the contactv 15 which will spring away from the contact 14, and will be again ready for operation.

1t may be observed inthe case shown in Fig. 1, that the battery box 18, which has the bell 19, or the buzzer 19a, attached there to, may be provided with the dry-cell type of batteries and may be positioned anywhere away from the cage member 4 with which the same is connected by flexible wires; and where the device is used in conjunction with an ice-chest dripping-tank, it may be IObserved that the cage member 4 may be set into the tank, (as shown in Fig. 1) and as soon as the same becomes filled (as indicated ser in Fig. 2) the alarm is sounded, when the attendant may pull the tank from under the chest and take out the cage member 4 and set the same on the floor, While the contents of the tank is being emptied, after which the cage member 4 may be again set in the same, and the tank member yplaced in position to receive the drippings from the chest, as before.

It may be observed that the type of stopper orswitch member provided in Fig. 9, and the telescoping-sleeve 22 provided in Fig. 7, may be used for regulating the device to sound the alarm at required levels of the liquids in the vessels that the device is set in.

It may also be observed that in Fig. 6, the design'disclosed there is very compact and makes a unit of the batteries, bell, and cage member, all supported on a substantial bridging member which permits the carrying of the device to any place, and renders the same always ready for operation; thus providing a self-contained outfit. It may also be observed that such design may be provided to span and fit over any shape of vessel.

It may be further observed that the device I propose for the purpose herein set forth, is simple in construction, inexpensive to manufacture and positively effective in operation, making the same a very useful article for the household, with the possibility of having many applications in the same.

While the preferred embodiments of my invention have been described in detail, it will be understood that I do not Wish to be limited to the particular construction set forth, since various changes lin the form, material, proportion and arrangement of parts, and in the details of construction may be resorted to Without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention, or destroying any of the advantages contained in the same, heretofore described and defined in the subjoined claim.

What I claim is- A gridiron tubular column member having an open end at the top of the same, and a webbed float supported end and an outwardly projected and Weighted stabilizing iiange at the bottom of the same; a floating and buoyant ball member; and an exposed insulated cap member adapted to fit in the top end of said column member and provided ivith contact members projecting therefrom, substantially as shown.

ADA COHEN.

Witnesses B. H. CHERTOK, R. LIGHTENSTEIN.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for lve cents each, by addressing the Commissioner o! Patents, Washington, D. C.

Itis hereby certified that in Letters Patent No. 1,222,183, granted April .10, 1917,

upon the application of Ada Cohen, of Chelsea., Massachusetts, for an improvement in Alarm Devices for Liquitlllevels, 'an error appears in the printed specification requiring correction as follows: Page 3, line 50, Claim,l lor the Word supporteh e reed supporting; end that the said Letters Patent lshould be reed with this correotion therein that the same may conform to 'the record of the ease in the Patent Ofloe. r l

Signed and sealed this lst day of May, A. D., 1917.

[SEAL] R. F. 1WHITEHEAD,

' Acting Commissioner of Patents. Cl. 20D-34.

Itis hereby oertied that in Letters Patent No. 1,222,183, granted April 10, 1917,` upon the application of Ada Cohen, of Chelsea, Massaohusetts, for an improvementin Alarm Devices for Liquid-Levels,an error appears in the printed specification requiring correction as follows: Page 3, line 50, claim, l'or the Word supported read supporting;v and that the said Letters Patent'should be read With this correo tion therein that the saine may conform to the record of the ease in the Patent Ofloe. I A I Signed and sealed this 1st day of May, A. D., 1917. l

R. F. VVHITEHEAD,

[SEAL] Acting Commissioner of Patents. Cl. 200-34. 

